Supply Chain by the Numbers: Week of December 3 , 2009
   
 

-December 3, 2009
   
 

This Week’s Supply Chain by the Numbers – Walgreens DC, Kraft Truck Miles, Sharp Electronics, US Steel Mill Factory Utilization Rate

   
 

The Supply Chain and Logistics Numbers Worth Knowing This Week: Walgreens Puts Trust and DC in Hands of Disabled, Kraft Truck Miles Fall Victim to Tactical Elimination, Charity Begins at Home, US Steel Mill Factory Utilization Rate Improves

   
 
 
 

700

The number of disabled DC associates Walgreens now has working across its distribution center network, on its way to 1000, or 10% of its total distribution employees, according to Randy Lewis, SVP of Logistics & Distribution. To read the full story on how Walgreens is making this happen, go to our Feature Story.
 
 



 

50 million

The number of truck miles food giant Kraft said it has eliminated since 2005 through a variety of transportation strategies, including more collaboration, greater use of rail, and shipping wheat to one of its factories on inland waterways.
 
 
$11 billion

The amount Sharp Electronics spent on a giant, new, high-tech manufacturing complex in Osaka, Japan to build a variety of electronic products and components, the largest plant investment the country has ever seen. It is a high-cost strategy to maintain competitive manufacturing prowess inside Japan.
 
 
 
 
63%

Rate of factory utilization at US steel mills last week, low by pre-recession standards but up from 51% at this time last year, typically a slow period for the industry as construction wanes. Still, the Wall Street Journal reports many manufacturers may be closing more plants to boost profits.